2024 Presidential Traverse
backpackingIn May of 2024, 3 friends and I hiked the Presidential Traverse in New Hampshire!
Route
Our route!
This route is slightly off. We started at the Mount Webster Trailhead and added Mount Jackson to our hike! We hiked somewhere between 7-15kms a day!
Gear
This is the gear I packed:
- Clothes
- Shorts
- Shirts
- Underwear
- Socks
- Sweater
- Rain Jacket
- Rain Pants
- Hiking Boots
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Hygiene - (I don’t think specifics are necessary for these)
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Hand Sanitizer
- Sunscreen
- Toilet Paper
- Wet wipes
- Bug spray
- Equipment
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Pad
- Headlamp
- Stove
- Fuel
- Spork
- Camp soap
- Rope
- Dry Bag
- Compression Sack
- First Aid Kit
- Water filter
- Water bottles
- Multitool
- Electronics (battery bank, phone, etc)
We carried 2 tents for the 4 of us (1 two-person and 1 four-person), but we had an issue with the two-person one, so everyone added up sleeping in the four-person one. We had to get cozy! We all carried our own food and water. We also had a Garmin inReach mini 2 with us as a GPS and satalite beacon. My one gear regret was packing my cotton hiking pants. I’ve liked them in the past for their durability but it was a wet start to the trip, and the pants got soaked quickly. I forgot one of the key rules… avoid cotton. They don’t dry at all, so I ended up putting them in a bag and keeping them in bottom of my pack as deadweight for the rest of the hike. Next time, the rain pants, baselayers and shorts would be enough.
Food
One of the guys on the trip is a big fan of the Mountain House freeze dried foods so we used those for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m usually a savoury fan but surprisingly my favourite meal out of all of them was the granola with milk and blueberries! It was so good!
Day 1
The starting marker of our trek!
I love mountains!
Our first break!
Me on one of the peaks (I forget which one)
Day 2
Day 2 was a foggy as day 1
We explored a bit of the Lake of the Clouds!
By the time the sunset, the fog finally cleared!
Day 3
We can finally see the views clearly
This was the route to Mt Washington, you can see the structures at the peak!
This is the upcoming range we had to hike along
A train that takes people up to the top of Mt. Washington!
The final sunset of the trip!
Day 4
Mt. Adams! The final peak
My last picture of mountains! I promise
This trail sign marks the end of our trek!